Sure, Newcastle have made a shoal of new signings and therefore hope abounds.

But until the foreign imports begin performing in what is a demanding league, we won’t know for certain if they will cope.

We hope they will, we hope all goes well, but we wait to find out.

As an old No 9, my thoughts are always dominated by goals. I’ve lived by a simple fact: goals win games.

Which brings me round to a concern of mine. Where are the goals going to come from for the black-and-whites? Frankly, we can’t be certain because the new strikers are unknown.

Emmanuel Rivière scored a fine header in Germany pre-season and is probably the top new striker, but how will he go over a long PL season? And backing him are on-loan Argentinian Facundo Ferreyra and young Ayoze Pérez.

That’s three untried goalscorers to be joined by Papiss Cisse when fit.

Cisse has become something of an unknown quantity as well because we have no assurances that he’ll score goals regularly again instead of continuing his 2014 dry spell.

Of course, it can be argued that I was a relative unknown when I arrived at Newcastle having never played in the top division and only 21 years of age. I blossomed here, loved it, and scored goals. Maybe the new crop of strikers will do the same. I hope so!

Certainly I’m pleased that Newcastle appear to have turned their back on Loic Remy. From day one when he ducked out of signing for the Magpies and slunk off to QPR, he turned out to be anything but a man of his word.

He never looked as though he wished to be here and equally, he appeared to me to only play when he wanted too. We don’t need that sort up here.

Siem de Jong could well weigh in with goals from midfield, a department which looks well covered for the new season.

However, if I’m worried a little about scoring goals, I’m concerned a lot more about letting them in.

United ought to have signed an athletic central defender as a priority, but so far they haven’t and that sets alarm bells ringing.

Fabricio Coloccini may well be past his sell-by date, and Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa has disappointed me greatly after making a decent first impression.

Then there is Steven Taylor, who, I’m afraid, is rapidly becoming the new Shola Ameobi – a kid raised locally who ends up with no great ambition outside of staying at Newcastle even though not holding down a regular first-team place.

Someone who has become too comfortable.

Apart from those newcomers up front, Remy Cabella intrigues me. I want to see more before making up my mind.

He comes with a reputation as a good ball player who has tricks in his armoury, but also with a concern because he’s physically lightweight.

Well, another Frenchman Yohan Cabaye wasn’t big, but he would put his foot in. Opponents knew he was around.

I don’t think Cabella will do that, but he must become another Terry Hibbitt, who was also lightly built, but set up a right few goals for me.

Alan Pardew certainly needs a more-than-decent season to get back in the good books with United supporters.

His 2014, so far, is littered with PL defeats and a shocking head butting incident. Supporters are openly cynical about him and he has to win them over somehow. It’s going to be mightily interesting.

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